Mindful America : meditation and the mutual transformation of Buddhism and American culture
Awareness Buddhism buddhalaisuus hoitomenetelmät kaupallisuus mietiskely seksuaalisuus tietoinen läsnäolo tietoisuus behandlingsmetoder kommersialism meditation sexualitet mindfulnessmeditation medvetenhet e-böcker
Oxford University Press
2014
EISBN 9780199376926
Introduction: Waking Up in Mindful America ; 1. Mediating Mindfulness: How Does Mindfulness Reach America? ; 2. Mystifying Mindfulness: How is Mindfulness Made Available for Appropriation? ; 3. Medicalizing Mindfulness: How is Mindfulness Modified to Fit a Scientific and Therapeutic Culture? ; 4. Mainstreaming Mindfulness: How is Mindfulness Adapted to Middle-Class Needs? ; 5. Marketing Mindfulness: How is Mindfulness Turned into a Commercial Product? ; 6. Moralizing Mindfulness: How is Mindfulness Related to Values and Worldviews?.
Postscript: Making Sense of Mindfulness.
Bibliography.
Notes.
Index
Thirty years ago, "mindfulness" was a Buddhist principle mostly obscure to the West. Today, it is a popular cure-all for Americans' daily problems. A massive and lucrative industry promotes mindfulness in every aspect of life, however mundane or unlikely: Americans of various faiths (or none at all) practice mindful eating, mindful sex, mindful parenting, mindfulness in the office, mindful sports, mindfulness-based stress relief and addiction recovery, and hire mindful divorce lawyers. Mindfulness is touted by members of Congress, CEOs, and Silicon Valley tech gurus, and is even being taught in public schools, hospitals, and the military. Focusing on such processes as the marketing, medicalization, and professionalization of meditation, Jeff Wilson reveals how Buddhism shed its countercultural image and was assimilated into mainstream American culture. The rise of mindfulness in America, Wilson argues, is a perfect example of how Buddhism enters new cultures and is domesticated: in each case, the new cultures take from Buddhism what they believe will relieve their specific distresses and concerns, and in the process create new forms of Buddhism adapted to their needs. Wilson also tackles the economics of the mindfulness movement, examining commercial programs, therapeutic services, and products such as books, films, CDs, and even smartphone applications.
Postscript: Making Sense of Mindfulness.
Bibliography.
Notes.
Index
Thirty years ago, "mindfulness" was a Buddhist principle mostly obscure to the West. Today, it is a popular cure-all for Americans' daily problems. A massive and lucrative industry promotes mindfulness in every aspect of life, however mundane or unlikely: Americans of various faiths (or none at all) practice mindful eating, mindful sex, mindful parenting, mindfulness in the office, mindful sports, mindfulness-based stress relief and addiction recovery, and hire mindful divorce lawyers. Mindfulness is touted by members of Congress, CEOs, and Silicon Valley tech gurus, and is even being taught in public schools, hospitals, and the military. Focusing on such processes as the marketing, medicalization, and professionalization of meditation, Jeff Wilson reveals how Buddhism shed its countercultural image and was assimilated into mainstream American culture. The rise of mindfulness in America, Wilson argues, is a perfect example of how Buddhism enters new cultures and is domesticated: in each case, the new cultures take from Buddhism what they believe will relieve their specific distresses and concerns, and in the process create new forms of Buddhism adapted to their needs. Wilson also tackles the economics of the mindfulness movement, examining commercial programs, therapeutic services, and products such as books, films, CDs, and even smartphone applications.
